Game apparatus



J. G. WELLS GAME APPARATUS Nov. 28, 1939.

Filed Dec. 13, 1957 IIIIIIII'IIIIIA lllylllllilllllllilii?) A IIIIIIIIIIII" nov.L'me

Jams (hfiar Wlls VENTOR.

BY H15 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES r nses 2,181,388 7 GAME APPARATUS James Grayar Wells, Chicago,'iIll., assignor to J. H. Keeney & 00., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 13, 1937, Serial No. 179,420

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to amusement apparatus and especially. to a game of the pin ball type having mechanism operated by playing the game and causing a projectile or ball to intercept a light beam for the operation of the aforesaid mechanism in a manner dependent upon the movement of the projectile.

Among its important objects the invention provides for an inclined ball playing board and a device for propelling balls one at a time onto said board together with barriers or hazards encountered by a propelled ball so as to cause the latter to follow a devious course over the board, together with a source of light and means on the board for directing the light in a devious path across the same and finally focusing the light onto a photoelectric device which is arranged in circuit with any desired instrumentality such as an indicating device in such a manner that the movement of a ball variously across the board will intercept the light beam and operate the instrumentality. A further object is the provision of a device of the character described in which a plurality of rebound members are placed upon a ball playing board so that a ball propelled onto the latter may be moved variously and generally in a direction back and forth across the board, and means for maintaining a'deviously directed'beam of light across the playing board from a single source of light.

Yet another object is the provision, in a game apparatus having an inclined ball playing board and means for propelling balls onto that board, of a source of light and a plurality of light-concenrating mirrors on the board and arranged to'direct light from the source in a path back and forth from one mirror to another and ultimately to a photo-sensitive mechanism arranged to opcrate a desired instrumentality when the beam of light is intercepted byan object such as a ball moving on the board. I

Other novel aspects and objects of the invention will appear as the following description develops in View of the drawing in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a game board incorporating the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical-section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section along line 33 of Fig. 1; while Fig. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of the novel game apparatus. v Referring first to Fig. 1, one embodiment of the invention includes a cabinet member I!) having a vertical section I2 at its upper end and an in clined playing board [4 near its top (for instance, Fig. 2) a projecting alley I5 is formed along one side of the playing board by a strip l6 spaced from the side wall of-the cabinet in a manner to provide a raceway in which a ball ll may be propelled or projected by a propelling plunger [8 operated by the player; beginning at the uppermost end of the projecting alley I5 is an arcuate wall portion it effective to guide a suitably pro- ,of the ball will tend generally in a direction back and forth-from one side ID to the other side ll of the playing field. In this sense the devious path which may be taken by a ball as a result of encountering the rebound members may be said to be in a direction back and forth across the board laterally of the long axis of the same until a the ball becomes spent or migrates into a storage compartment'or area 22 at the lower end of the board.

The spent balls which gather in the area 22 are released by the operation of a control 23 and descend to the region below the playing board M for elevation one at a time by elevating mechanism (not shown in detail) into the position of the ball I! in Fig. 1 ready for projection by the plunger I8. In this manner the manipulation of the control 23 permits a determined number of balls to be played.

' Thelowermost region of the playing field is provided with a cover member 24 fitted snugly against the bottom and adjoining cabinet Wall. portions and having its upper edge portion cut in V-shape to converge in the storage compartment 22. A panel 34 is spaced from the board l4, and

between the latter and the panel is disposed a other reflecting device or mirror 30 positioned in this instance in about the center of the board before the exit opening 22. This mirror 30 is likewise positioned or focused with respect to the mirror 29 so as to gather a maximum amount of light from the latter and to direct such light along another diagonal path C onto a third reflecting device or mirror 3| which in turn is disposed and arranged to direct such light along a path D toward the lower end of the board and into a cell housing 32 (for instance Figs. 1 and 3) in which is disposed a photo-sentitive device (for example the photo-electric cell 33 seen in Fig. 3). The construction of the lamp and cell housings is such that each of the latter is provided with a removable cover plate 34 by means of which the lamps and cells may readily be removed or inserted.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 particularly that each of the reflecting devices 29, 3!], and 3! is guarded by semi-circular rebound members 35, 36, and 31, these latter members being preferably in the form of flat light springs bent into desired arcuate form and mounted by means of nails or pins extended into the board M and embraced by the curved end portions 35 of the spring members. It will be observed that the open side of each of the springs 35 and 36 faces the direction of the light path whereas in the case of the spring 3'! the bowed or bight portion of the spring is disposed across the light path but is sufficiently narrow and at a suflicient level to avoid interrupting the beam.

At the lower end of the playing field are positioned two rebound members in the form of coil springs 38 and 39, each joined by a straight wire section 40, it being observed that this thin wire section is disposed in each instance across the path of the light beam first as it issues from the light 25 and also as it returns to the cellhousing 32. In this manner the rebound member is efficiently extended across both the lamp and photo-cell housing openings without materially interfering with the light beam, and thus the playing field I4 is adequately provided with rebound means which assures the devious movement of a ball thereacross or thereover in a manner which will make the game highly interesting.

At the upper end of the board [4 in the section i2 is disposed a score-indicating or counter mechanism 32 which is electrically operated and which is disposed in the line of vision of the player and registers by means of figures or other desired indicia each time one of the light beams A, B, C or D is interrupted by the migratory movement of a played ball.

The score counter 42 is arranged in circuit with the photo-electric cell 33 in accordance with the circuit diagram of Fig. 4 wherein the primary P of a transformer is connected by means of conductors M and 45 to a volt power line. One of the secondary winding S is connected through a conductor 43 and a coin controlled time switch 47! to the light 25, while another secondary winding S is connected by a conductor 48 to one side of the score control device 42, the other side of the winding being connected through a conductor 39 and relay contacts 50 and 5| to the other side of the score control device 42. The photo-cell 33 is connected by a conductor 52 to one side of the power line, and the other side of the cell is connected by conductor 54 to the grid of a vacuum tube 55, this grid being biased by a suitable voltage drop device 56 connected by a conductor 57 to the plate 58 of the tube and to one side of sition before the plunger a relay winding 59 which operates the score counter or control 42. The other side of the relay winding 59 is connected by a conductor 60 in return circuit to the power line, thus establishing an operating potential for the photoelectric cell 33 and for the plate 58 together with a suitable biasing voltage for the grid circuit. The particular form of circuit illustrated has been found quite suitable, but it will be understood that various circuit arrangements other than the one shown are included within the scope of the invention.

In Fig. 4 also are schematically indicated the lens 28 and the several reflecting mirrors 29, 3D and 35, by means of which the several beams of light A, B, C and D are established from the lamp 25 to the photo-cell 33.

In the operation of the device, with particular reference to the circuit of Fig. 4, it may be assumed that the player has operated the master control 23 so as to actuate the time switch ll whereupon the light 25 will be constantly i1- lurninated for a predetermined period. Thereafter the player may elevate a ball ll into pol8 by manipulation of an elevating device 9, and by withdrawing and releasing the plunger the ball ll will be propelled with more or less violence out onto the playing field M to strike the rebound bumper 3B in the first instance or any of the several rebound devices 2 i, 36, etc., and move generally in a direction laterally across the playing board l4 so as to intercept one or more of the several light beams A, B, C or D one or more times before arriving at the exit opening or storage receptacle 22 In its normal operation, the photo-cell 33 is being activated constantly by the light from lamp 255, and the circuit through the vacuum tube 55 and relay winding 53 is such that so long as the photo-cell is so activated the contacts 53 and 5| of the relay are in open circuit condition. However, as soon as the light beam is interrupted, the grid circuit of the vacuum. tube 55 is afiected to. alter the current flow in the plate circuit 58 of the tube and thus effect a current change through the relay winding 59 so as to cause the relay contacts 53 and 5| to pull up in closed circuit relation, thus completing the circuit through one secondary winding S of the transformer to the score control or counting device 42.

Thus, it will be apparent that a single ball pro- J'ected onto the board in the manner described may cross and recross the several light beams a number of times and correspondingly interrupt the light directed onto the photo-cell 33 so that with each interruption the relay 59 will be actuated a corresponding number of times as will the score-counting or indicating device 32. This latter score device may be a simple disk having numerals thereon which appear sequentially before a window or sight opening and an electromagnetic pawl and ratchet mechanism for stepping the disk upon each impulse through the relay contacts 53 and 55. Or the indicating device may assume any one of a variety of forms well known to those skilled in the art.

While I have described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be under- 's,ood that various changes may be made in the device so described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular I do not desire to be restricted to any particular form of bumper or game board, nor to any particular form of indicating device, nor to the spe- 75 cific form of reflector or light-sensitive circuit arrangement set forth herein, but desire to avail myself of all modifications and combinations and re-arrangements of the device herein described and coming within the call of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an amusement game apparatus of the class described which includes photo-electric control means arranged for actuation by light projected across a ball playing board for interruption by a ball moving on the board, the combination of reflecting means arranged on said board to direct a beam of light in a devious path across said board from said source toward said photo-electric control means, and means on said board forvdeflecting a ball so that the latter may 20 be caused to follow a devious path over said board to interrupt said beam to actuate said control means a corresponding number of times.

2. In an amusement apparatus of the type which includes an inclined ball playing board and means for causing a ball to be gravitated down the board, the combination of reflecting means arranged on the board, a photo-sensitive control device arranged near the lower levels of said board and a light source arranged to project a continuous beam over major portions of said board from one reflector to another thereon until the beam impinges upon said photo-sensitive control device, together with ball deflecting means positioned variously on the board so that the ball may be caused to interrupt the beam one or more times depending upon how many of the deflecting means are engaged and the angle at which they are engaged by the ball.

JAMES GRAYAR WELLS. 

